


bait and a date

by titaniumsansa



Category: Young Justice (Cartoon), Young Justice - All Media Types
Genre: Artemis and her Alice's Adventures In Wonderland thing got me thinking, Batcave, Crime Fighting, F/F, I Blame Tumblr, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Undercover
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-24
Updated: 2017-10-24
Packaged: 2019-01-22 05:18:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,487
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12474344
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/titaniumsansa/pseuds/titaniumsansa
Summary: With the Mad Hatter (Jervis Tetch) running loose in Gotham, Artemis agrees to being bait to help catch him. Snaibsel fluff.





	bait and a date

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sunkelles](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunkelles/gifts).



> was inspired by Batman: the animated series and the episodes with Tetch in them. Tetch did kidnap Barbara Gordon at one point in the comics, so I mentioned it.

* * *

“Are you absolutely sure you’re comfortable with this?” Bruce asks again. Artemis nods.

“We need to find out where those kids are and get them home. If this is the only way, then I’ll do it,” Artemis says. 

“The outfit is in one of the changing rooms. Along with being obsessive he’s also paranoid, we will be with you the entire time. Nothing will happen to you. If your cover is blown or you’re unsafe, you need to say  _ Cheshire _ . That will be our signal to get you out. You’ll be able to hear us on the earpiece, and the bow should keep you from falling under any of his mind control, if he uses that,” Batman informs her. Artemis doesn’t have the urge to back out suddenly, M’gann could do this too, but she’s already on another mission with most of the Team. M’gann doesn’t know  _ Alice in Wonderland _ inside and out like Artemis does, doesn’t know Gotham like Artemis does, and M’gann might try to fight back.

Another time she might be checking out the new things in the Batcave but they’re on a time schedule. The news has been advising parents to carry pepper spray, to cover blonde hair with wigs and hats, Artemis will be perfect bait-he won’t be able to resist. GCPD has been asked to stand down on catching Mad Hatter-Bruce put on the cape and cowl to explain it to Barbara’s father.

The dress is blue, the boots are black-much better for running than heels, the earpiece is tiny. It’s not the Alice dress she envisioned when she was younger, a dozen dreams and another lifetime ago, but it fits. Barbara helps her with the bow in the back, setting the earpiece up, looks at her with worried eyes.

“You’ll be talking to me on the other end right?” Artemis asks. Maybe none of them should be doing this-Jervis Tetch kidnapped Barbara when she was younger, Zatanna is fidgeting, and Dick looks like he doesn’t know how to relax. Bruce is always hard to read but she can still see the concern he and Alfred have.

“Yeah. We’ll get you out before anything happens,” Barbara echoes Bruce’s words. She means them, and Artemis has faith in Zatanna, who’s staring at her with those bright blue eyes. Artemis is glad she asked her out last week, they’re finally dating. Girlfriend, Zatanna Zatara is her  _ girlfriend _ . It’s still surreal to think about and Artemis is glad she’s helping with this mission.

“It’s going to be fine,” Artemis tells her, full of false confidence. There are a million things that could go wrong but Artemis reminds herself that they know what they’re doing. Gotham will be safer in a few hours and then Artemis and Zatanna are going to get dinner after the mission ends. 

* * *

She walks the streets of Gotham alone, Zatanna talking about everything and nothing into the earpiece, nervous words strung together in a rush. Artemis thinks about everyone in the Batcave, warm and concerned as cold air rushes by with the traffic of the street. The van that pulls up is blue, not a custom color, an ugly default color from years past. The door slides open and Artemis stares Jervis Tetch in the face. He looks just like the wanted posters she’s seen all over the city and she doesn’t hesitate.

“You look like the Mad Hatter,” Artemis says, voice full of fake wonder. Jervis smiles, but it’s not a real smile-doesn’t reach his eyes.

“I am the Mad Hatter, and you’re Alice,” he tells her. She’s grabbed with rough hands and the door slides shut.

* * *

 

“They’re moving out of Gotham,” Alfred notes, watching the screen with the rest of them.

“If he’s trying to recreate a scene from  _ Alice in Wonderland,  _ he’d need a lot of space, right?” Zatanna asks. She might be worried about Artemis but she knows her girlfriend is capable. If Artemis needs help she’s going to tell them, and they’re going to get dinner and it’s going to be fine. 

“Not necessarily. He might just need seclusion,” Barbara says and the others pretend to not notice her involuntary shudder.

“Tweedledee and Tweedledum look exactly like I thought they would,” Artemis says, amazed, voice broadcasting into the Batcave.

“We might have missing adults too,” Barbara says, looking up from the computer to Bruce. Artemis keeps asking questions about who else Tetch knows, if he knows the March Hare and the White Rabbit and Bill the Lizard. Tetch answers, thrilled about her enthusiasm while Artemis refrains from shuddering. Tetch makes her skin crawl when he looks at her but she’s a great actress and this isn’t the worst situation she’s been in. 

“She keeps naming characters. How many people are missing in Gotham right now?” Zatanna asks, looking from the blinking dot of Artemis’s tracker on the screen to Bruce’s face. The obvious answer is too many, but they keep count of how many people Tetch might have with him. Barbara pulls up a list of characters on one screen, matching them up.

“Isn’t she kind of obvious bait?” Zatanna asks. 

“Tetch doesn’t see things like that. His obsession overrides any paranoia he might have. Artemis is safe as long as she stays in character. If the fantasy breaks, everyone around them will be in danger,” Bruce says.

* * *

 

“Go through the maze and I’ll see you at the tea party!” Tetch tells her and Artemis smiles like an idiot at him. It’s not hard to smile because she’s thinking of Zatanna.

“Will there be Unbirthday cake? It’s my Unbirthday today,” Artemis tells him earnestly. He smiles like he’s indulging her and tells her that it’s his Unbirthday too-of course there will be cake.

“What if the maze is a trap?” Zatanna asks as Artemis watches the maze entrance behind her slam shut. Too tall and smooth to climb, despite the fake hedge texture to the green metal.

“He’ll want her alive. He needs someone to play Alice, play into the fantasy of being in Wonderland,” Bruce answers.

“There are a ton of people here, all in costume. If you get a discrete squad, they could get a few of them to safety, they’re all wearing his hats. Knock them off and they’ll be back to normal,” Artemis whispers, the earpiece is advanced enough to pick up her voice.

“Anything else?” Bruce asks.

“It’s going to take me a while to get out of this maze-I don’t know if I can blow my cover to help people. I don’t know the way out of here, so taking their hats off would just give me away,” Artemis admits, and someone sighs.

“Just do what you can, you’re doing great,” Bruce says and Artemis nods. There’s dead ends and spiraling paths that make her wonder why no one ever called GCPD about it. The maze seems too big and too endless for people to not notice it exists.

* * *

 

“Okay, am I pulling her out before she reaches the end of the maze?” Zatanna asks, waiting for Bruce to respond. It takes a second to get an answer because of the delay between the Batcave and the Batmobile.

“That’s the safest course of action,” Bruce agrees.

“We’re about 5 minutes away, so just take it slow,” Dick says and Artemis sighs.

“How much can he possibly afford all of this?” Artemis mutters to herself and Zatanna laughs.

“He  _ is _ a criminal,” Zatanna says and Artemis laughs along with Dick and Barbara.

“Still,” Artemis says, looking around at the maze.

“Zatanna, time to take Artemis out of the maze,” Bruce says and Artemis relaxes against one of the hedge walls as Zatanna begins to speak. A few seconds and then she’s back in the Batcave with Zatanna’s arms around her.

“I know it was good and we’re good but I was worried. I’m glad everything’s okay,” Zatanna says and Artemis grins. Bruce will get Jervis Tetch and Barbara and Dick will get the people he kidnapped to safety. It’s a good day. Artemis breaks the hug so she can change back into her clothes, she can be Artemis again, not Alice.

“What are you thinking?” Zatanna asks, looking at Artemis for a moment.

“I’m thinking about where we could go for dinner and that I’ve had enough of Alice in Wonderland for a while. I’ll be back in a second,” Artemis promises and kisses Zatanna on the cheek.

* * *

 

The bats come back in an hour, and Bruce thanks them for helping in his own way.

“Now that Tetch is gone, let me show you the best Chinese food in Gotham,” Artemis says and her hair is back up, leather jacket on. 

“How could anyone say no to that?” Zatanna asks, following her out into the night. The air is cold but Zatanna’s hand is warm in hers. It’s the best Friday night either of them have had in a while.


End file.
